An industry consultation has been launched by the UK Civil Aviation Authority as it looks to devise proposals on how to modernise the country’s airspace.

The regulator said the consultation outlines proposals to streamline and improve the timeliness of how airspace proposals are developed and decisions are made.

It added that is want to ensure the process remains “transparent and evidence-based” and it is seeking views from a wide range of stakeholders.

Planas for the Airspace Design Service (UKADS) are intended to create a “single guiding mind” for aerospace reform.

The CAA said this means current processes, first introduced in 2018 and updated in 2023, require a refresh.

This will also be a opportunity to “reflect experience of where the current process is effective and where it is not working effectively or is creating disproportionate work.”

The proposed framework is expected to enable UKADS and new users, working with stakeholders, to deliver modernised design more efficiently.

Rob Bishton, chief executive of the CAA, said: “Airspace is one of the UK’s most important pieces of national infrastructure.

“If we want our aviation system to grow in line with planning system decisions, be resilient, compete internationally, and adapt to new technologies, the way we manage and modernise that airspace must also evolve.

“This consultation sets out reforms that will make the system simpler and more proportionate, while retaining the key evidence and transparent approach. It is a critical step towards delivering the airspace modernisation the UK needs.”

UK airspace modernisation has been positioned as a key plank of the UK’s transport strategy.

The CAA is working with the Department for Transport to ensure reforms align with commitments to “proportionate and effective regulation”.

The CAA said: “Modernised airspace designs will improve the overall capacity of this key national infrastructure to safely deliver airport capacity limits established in planning decisions, strengthen the resilience of aviation operations, whilst taking account of the government’s environmental objectives.

“In time modernisation will facilitate safe integration of new and innovative types of aircraft with other airspace users.”

The consultation will run for 12 weeks before closing on December 18. Full details and information on how to respond are available on the Civil Aviation Authority’s Citizen Space platform.